Russia Deploys BMP-3 Combat Vehicles Equipped With Khrizantema-S to Hunt Western Tanks In Ukraine

In order to fight Western tanks deployed by Ukrainian troops on the battlefield, Russian troops have various antidotes.

One of them is the BMP-3 armored fighting vehicle equipped with the 9P157-2 Khrizantema-S anti-tank missile.

The combination of the BMP-3 with the Khrizantema-S provides a mobile movement capability, the crew is well protected, and carries a powerful weapon of destruction.

Features a dual guidance system that guarantees resistance to electronic interference and the ability to function in any weather conditions day or night.

The missile, dubbed by NATO as the AT-15 Springer, was developed when the Soviet Union was still standing, but was only introduced in July 1996 by the KBM Design Bureau (Konstruktorskoye Byuro Mashynostroyenia).

One of the unique features of the Khrizantema-S is that it can be guided by radar or laser.

The radar-guided version uses a millimeter-wave band radar unit that automatically tracks the target and guides the missile along the radar beam.

In the laser-guided version, the laser beam is continuously aimed at the target, a sensor behind the missile allows it to follow this beam.

This dual guidance capability enables the simultaneous launch of two missiles at two different targets.

One missile is guided by a laser and the other by a radar.

The 9M123 missile is a supersonic projectile capable of reaching a speed of around 400 m/s (Mach 1.2) with a firing range of 400 m to 6,000 m.

The payload of each missile consists of a tandem-charged High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead, which can penetrate Rolled Homogeneous Armor (RHA) as well as Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) layers.

Apart from the BMP-3, the Khrizantema-S missile system can be mounted on several other types of platforms such as pickup vehicles or light tactical vehicles.